Chapter two: correspondence

He woke alone in the bed again, which told him he'd been out for a long while. This had a tendency to happen, and didn't bother him too much now, as it meant he'd have more energy with each wakening. Magic was forbidden of course - it would drain his energies dangerously - but as long as Moony was around he didn't feel the lack.

Sirius and Remus had been dancing around each other since graduation, and the news of Lily's pregnancy had brought them together at last. That relationship had been destroyed by the Potters murders, and Sirius subsequent sentence to Azkaban. With his release, the dance had started again, on parchment only at first as he'd been on the run for two years. His return to his ancestral halls had seen a return of the intimate side of their relationship, though it had been very low key since his encounter with the Veil. Moony had needed to know that his pack mate was fully recovered before he'd even think of asking for more than the innocent cuddles and touches they'd shared. Sirius didn't mind: he would have hated to fall asleep just as things were getting interesting.

The door opened and Remus entered quietly with Hedwig on his shoulder. They'd learned that Harry's owl wouldn't leave until she'd seen Sirius with her own eyes, no matter how many letters they gave her or what they said. Neither man was sure why she insisted seeing Harry's godfather - it wasn't as if she could talk to Harry about him - but it was the quickest way to get her to take their letters back, so they gave in. Remus curled onto Sirius' bed and Hedwig moved to sit on the bedridden man's drawn up knees, looking him over very closely. He ignored the scrutiny as best he could, more interested in the letter his pack mate held in his hands. Remus made a show of unrolling the parchment and clearing his throat until Sirius poked him in the side impatiently.

Dear Snuffles and Moony,

I'm pleased to report that I have nothing to report, so please report that to the relevant interested parties.

"He's a poet and didn't know it," Remus snorted and Sirius laughed.

I'm studying hard…

"Shades of Lily! She'd be so proud!"

"What on earth is he studying? There's no holiday homework in fifth year?"

…and the Muggles are ignoring me, which makes a peaceful change. Hedwig is apparently turning into the world's best hunter, as she comes back with a dead rat every night. I've told her not to kill the ones with a missing toe.

"Amen to that - I need the little sod to clear my name. If you see one, you bring him straight here, got it girl?"

A soft hoot was the response.

Seriously, though…

Identical groans sounded at the awful pun.

…how are you Snuffles? Is he taking his potions Moony? When I get there you'd better be better!

Cub

Moony leaned over and grabbed quill and parchment from the drawer beside the bed, dragging a book that had been read and discarded to act as a writing platform. Sirius insisted on writing the letter, which they both knew Harry would take as a good sign.

Dear Cub,

The nickname had sprung up in one of Sirius' more maudlin and sentimental moments and had simply stuck. Harry was the only Cub of their pack, and using the nickname seemed to make him feel wanted. Both men were worried about the teen, as the Order hadn't seen hide or hair of him since he'd disappeared into the Muggles house. Three days later Hedwig had delivered a round of letters that had frightened them both. Harry had apologised for the danger he'd led his friends into and made solemn promises of restitution. He'd even sent one to Snape, and all the reports said that whatever had been in it had actually made the spy pale as he read it. To get a reaction like that out of a man who had professed to hate him, Harry must have written something pretty impressive. Snape had refused to show anyone the letter, but had joined his voice to the chorus that was calling for Harry's return to the Wizard world. Dumbledore wouldn't let them take Harry away from the Muggles though, and they had resigned themselves to waiting and sending letters as often as they could.

I'm taking all my ruddy potions and Moony is being an awful bully about eating and sleeping. It's dead boring being stuck in bed, but better than the alternative, which I don't blame you for so get over it already.

You can pity his teachers Harry; they had to wade through sentences like that on his class assignments all the time.

Thanks Moony. No problem, Snuffles.

As you can see, we're still talking to each other. I'm doing a lot better, and look forward to seeing you soon. - Snuffles

So do I - Moony

Moony rolled the parchment after hitting it with a quick dry spell, and then tied it to the leg that Hedwig held out. She ruffled her feathers and hooted at Sirius, her eyes fixed upon his face. He smiled in confusion and petted her head, and action that she seemed to have been waiting for because she fluttered over to the window and hooted impatiently. Moony hit the glass with a spell to vanish it, restoring it once Harry's owl had departed.

"That is one weird bird," Sirius shook his head, "I hope she behaves for Harry."

"It's hard to say," Moony frowned, getting up and stripping the blankets off the bed. He hauled Padfoot up and herded him into the bathroom. Sirius stripped obediently and stepped into the shower while Moony leaned against the wall.

"I've heard him talk to her, and I know that she always comes to see him when he steps outside the castle. I've seen her shadow him to Care of Magical Creatures, and one really early morning they went flying around the Quidditch pitch together," he raised his voice to be heard over the water, and Sirius grunted, rinsing his hair. Moony warmed his pack mates towel and rubbed him dry briskly when the water shut off before leaving him to get dressed and changing the bed linen. The former convict was looking tired when he slid back into bed, but not so tired he couldn't pull Remus to lie down with him.

They were still lying quietly when Dumbledore opened the door. The elderly Wizards eyes widened for a moment, but when neither one made as if to let go he simply shut the door and drew up a chair - literally out of thin air. Sirius knew he was glaring at the Headmaster in unspoken challenge, but he wouldn't have their relationship disrespected for any reason. The not-quite nap had been enough to recoup the energy he'd lost taking a shower, and he was proud that he'd managed to do so much today.

"Hello boys," Dumbledore said quietly, "Sirius, how do you feel today?"

"Better, sir," Sirius forced himself to be respectful, even if he didn't feel that way. The past year had tarnished his feelings for the Headmaster, as the man mishandled Harry and his training, ignoring Sirius' wishes as well as the Weasley's advice.

"Good, good," Dumbledore twinkled, "Harry will be pleased. I know that he's been worried about you."

"We write to each other regularly. He sends us his reports on the Dursley's," Remus spoke up, "He hasn't reported any abuse."

"That is good to hear," Dumbledore murmured, "Though he will not be required to report for much longer."

"You're bringing him here?" Sirius sat up eagerly, and Dumbledore shook his head, raising a hand for patience. The former convict slumped back on his pillows, recognising that the elderly Wizard had something to say - and it wasn't likely to be short and to the point.

"He will be having guests until he can be removed safely," Dumbledore replied, "It is about the guests that I must speak to you. Do you remember the reports we had of a disturbance at Godric's Hollow last Halloween?"

"There were reports of two very powerful spells being discharged there. As I recall you took a couple of Order members to investigate with you," Remus spoke up, "You said that the culprits had been caught."

"That was not entirely true. It was the victims we caught, the culprit is still at large," Dumbledore sighed, and shifted so he was comfortable in the armchair he had conjured, "The exact details are still a little vague, even after all this time, however, the time has come to reveal several of the key facts to you both."

Sirius wondered what sort of news the man was about to impart. Whatever it was had to be pretty earth shattering from the way he was dancing around the subject. It was most unlike Dumbledore to do so, and it made the surviving Marauders uncomfortable. Remus tightened his grip on his friend and together they waited patiently for the Headmaster to come to the point.

"It seems that Harry's recollection of his parents murder - as aided by the presence of a Dementor - is not entirely accurate," Dumbledore began, "While it is true that James and Lily separated, and Lord Voldemort duelled them separately, the green flash that Harry recalls at the time of his mothers duel was not aimed at her."

The cold words, said so calmly, made Sirius cringe. Remus had told him all about Harry's reactions to the Dementors and the events that had led to his godson learning the Patronus Charm. It was not something that Sirius liked to dwell on; wishing that Harry's only complete memory of his parents was a happier one than that.

"It is true that his duel with James ended in the killing curse, and Voldemort also used the spell against Lily when she attempted to defend her son. However, it is possible that he had, for lack of a better term, tinkered with the curse, including a facet of the spell that is used to create a time turner. Tom was an experienced Arithmancer in school, much as James was, and it appears that he perverted the spell in such a way as to send the target forward in time. In this case, he sent the targets forward by fifteen years for a purpose only known to him, and that is the spell that we detected at Godric's Hollow on Halloween."

"That means he sent their bodies forward in time?" Remus breathed, "We never recovered them, we all assumed that they'd been destroyed with the house."

"We were wrong," Dumbledore replied simply, "Lily and James were sent forward instead. And according to Tom's calculations they would be dead upon arrival. However he failed to take into account the baby in its crib. It has formerly been postulated that Lily cast a shield spell based on her love of Harry to protect him from the killing curse. However, I believe now that Harry himself utilised a similar spell on his parents, and although the curse did hit them and send them outside of time, it was allayed by Harry's own instinctive spell, which allowed them to recover to full health while effectively being held in stasis. The spell had several nasty side effects, including memory loss, which has turned out to be temporary. For the past few months, they have been living in a small cottage that only I know of."

"They're alive?" Sirius gasped, his mind whirling, "They're alive and you didn't tell Harry? You didn't tell us?"

"There were reasons why I did not at first…"

"Of course, you had to prove who they were and give them time to remember us all, but the fact is that they're alive!" Remus burst out, "Do you know what this will mean to Harry? What it means to us?"

"Can we see them? Are they here?" Sirius added, and Dumbledore nodded, getting up. There was a wrinkle of worry on his forehead, but he headed for the door, saying over his shoulder that James and Lily were waiting downstairs. The moment the door closed, Sirius turned to hug Remus, who clung just as tightly. Their heads spinning, they waited for the return of their lost friends.

There was a creak outside the door and then James was standing there, exactly as they remembered, not a day older. The look on his face would have been funny at any other time. It came to them how much older they looked - the curse of the werewolf and Azkaban had marked each man deeply - while their friends had remained twenty-six. James wore plain robes, and looked startlingly normal for someone Sirius had mentally buried fifteen years ago.

"You're old!" James exclaimed, and Sirius' bark like laugh resounded in the room. Remus chuckled and shook his head. Some things never changed.

"You're still tactless," Remus rejoined, and Lily pushed her husband aside to hurry in. She too had a moment of shock, but that was over quickly and she was on the bed hugging them both, her long red hair as soft as they remembered, and her arms just as strong.

"Lily, it's so good to see you," Sirius murmured, "Harry is going to be over the moon. Are you all right? You weren't hurt by Voldemort?"

"I'm alright," Lily smiled and sat on the foot of the bed while James took his turn hugging them hard, slapping backs the way he used to, though he was a lot more gentle with Sirius than was his wont. He looked worried when he pulled back and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Don't start Prongs," he warned the newly returned man. James had a tendency to overreact when someone was unwell. What with the damage that Sirius used to garner on the Quidditch pitch and Moony's periodic illnesses, he'd had more than ample opportunity to exercise that tendency. James sighed and sat in the abandoned armchair. He eyed the two men on the bed and grinned a little, the familiar lopsided grin winning returning ones from his friends.

"I see you two finally got a clue. I bet Dumbledore was surprised. He never said anything to us about this," the easy tone was reassuring, and Remus shrugged.

"It's none of his business," the reply startled James, but Lily smiled in agreement. She touched Sirius foot to get his attention.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't," Sirius growled, "I won't hear it. The past is the past, Lily, don't make it worse."

He didn't want to hear protestations of sadness about Azkaban. He'd gotten used to people avoiding the subject, which was fine, or Harry's approach of quiet acceptance and support. His godson had never feared or pitied him, not once they'd worked out who was the real traitor to his family. The few times that Sirius had flashed back to the prison in Harry's presence there had been nothing but gentle strength and dignity offered to him. In many ways his godson was older than he, something the illegal Animagus was only just beginning to realise. The belated pity from the friends he'd gone to prison for, and the reopening of old wounds was not something he was strong enough to deal with now, and the reluctant acceptance in Lily's face was a relief to him.

"So when will Harry get here?" trust Remus to change the subject, and Sirius relaxed into his pack mates' side. The conversation was shallow and touching on superficialities only, but a deep and meaningful session had never been their style. For the Marauders actions spoke louder than words, and in time they'd regain the easy camaraderie they'd once had.

"We're going to him," James replied, his eyes shadowed. Remus frowned and glanced at the man leaning on him. He could see that the idea of the Potters visiting the Dursley's was not going over well with him either and looked back at his miraculous friends.

"James, I don't know much about the Dursley's, but I do know that they aren't a very welcoming family," the words were cautious, the warning blatant. Both men knew that Harry was hiding something about the Dursley's from them, and hadn't been able to find out what.

"There was an incident in his third year with an aunt," Sirius added, "She wasn't exactly complimentary about you two. Harry won't talk about it, but the last thing he needs right now is the added stress."

"You know, I never thought I'd be taking advice about my own son from you, Padfoot," James voice also held a note of warning and Padfoot looked at him in surprise. Surely the man wasn't stupid enough to think that Harry had lived in a bubble while his parents were presumed dead. There was a big difference between the personality of a happy baby and that of a teenage celebrity.

"We're not going as ourselves," Lily broke the tension, one hand reaching out to James. Her husband clasped it gently, some of the tension leaving him. The action was one they'd seen hundreds of times during Lily's pregnancy, as James had been wound tighter than normal in concern for his wife and child.

"What do you mean, not yourselves? Who else do you plan to be?" Sirius let his bewilderment show, and James sighed.

"Dumbledore thinks it would be a good idea to go in disguise as a couple of body guards. We'll use our middle names and spend the rest of Harry's visit with the Dursley's getting to know him a bit better before telling him who we are," James recounted what had to be Dumbledore's plan with simplicity, "We can't suddenly reveal our presence to the Wizarding world just yet, and … it might be a good idea to get to know Harry before we reveal ourselves. That way we'll know best how to help him over the shock."

"Harry hates being lied to," Remus shook his head, "And with the two of you alive the charm at the Dursley's is redundant… I think… either way, he deserves the truth now."

"It's only for a fortnight, and Dumbledore wouldn't suggest it if he thought it would hurt Harry," Lily murmured, "Then we'll bring him here. We can tell him together."

"The hell with that, I'll tell him right now," Sirius frowned, and tried to get out of bed. James leapt up to restrain him, and he was too weak at the moment to fight his way free. For a moment he was back at the Ministry, being dragged away to prison and he fought wildly, exhausting himself. There was shouting and things got very confusing. The familiar darkness took him away, and when he finally woke, Lily and James - or Beth and Wulfric - had been with Harry for three days. Dumbledore had placed a complete block on all owls to Harry's neighbourhood and there was no way to tell Harry the truth. Sirius found himself reluctantly resigned to waiting, and hoping his godson would forgive him this breach of trust.

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